The suspect and exhibit. Photo: NDLEA
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested an 85-year-old grandmother, Grace Ehimeka, popularly known as Mama Grace, with 179kg of cannabis in Edo State.
The Edo State NDLEA Commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, disclosed this on Monday in a statement made available to journalists in Benin.
Ofoyeju said Ehimeka was arrested alongside five other suspected drug traffickers during coordinated raids in communities across Owan East Local Government Area and other locations.
He said the operations led to the seizure of 407.39kg of cannabis, 546g of loud, 114g of tramadol, 4g of diazepam and 3g of Swinol.
The other suspects were identified as Ali Garba, 57; Habib Braimoh, 45; Musa Mubid, 35; Ayo Aigberadion, 53; and Hope Okoro, 35. They were arrested in Warake, Ivbiaro, Ewe Uzeba and other communities following actionable intelligence.
Ofoyeju warned that old age was no excuse for criminality, adding that the command remained committed to ridding the state of illicit drugs.
“The NDLEA Act is clear: you cannot hide under the canopy of old age and perpetrate acts that violate the law. The octogenarian, Grace Ehimeka, was apprehended on October 16, 2026, in her house at Warake community. This is a bad example for her children and grandchildren,” he said.
In her statement to the agency, Ehimeka reportedly admitted ownership of the drugs and pleaded for forgiveness.
“I am a widow and started selling cannabis over two years ago just to survive. My family members have warned me to stop, but I kept postponing my decision to stop. Officers, if you give me another chance, I will never sell cannabis again,” she reportedly pleaded.
In a related operation in Ivbiaro community on October 15, operatives arrested Garba with 5.85kg of cannabis, while Braimoh was apprehended the same day with 100g of the substance.
Mubid was arrested in Warake with two kilogrammes of cannabis, 309g of cannabis seeds, 114g of loud and 135g of assorted pharmaceutical drugs, including tramadol, Swinol and diazepam.
Similarly, Aigberadion was arrested in Ewe/Irue, Owan East LGA, on October 16 with 220.8kg of cannabis.
Okoro was also apprehended in Auchi, Edo State, according to the statement, with 237g of loud.
Ofoyeju said the arrests and seizures formed part of the agency’s renewed efforts to curb drug trafficking and abuse. He urged members of the public to provide timely and credible information to support the fight against illicit drugs.